Events
Decisive defeat of Napoleon by allied forces, significant for German pride.
Battle of Leipzig
Appointed Prime Minister of Prussia in 1862, this statesman pursued a policy of "blood and iron" to unify Germany under Prussian leadership.
Otto von Bismarck
May 1832
Hambach Festival– Massive pro-nationalist and liberal demonstration in Bavaria.
Established by Prussia in 1834, this customs union promoted economic integration and strengthened Prussia’s position over other German states.
Zollverein
A dramatic rise in enrollment at these institutions between 1817 and 1831 reflected the growth of an educated class sympathetic to liberal nationalism.
Universities
Prussian attempt to reorganize Germany without Austria.
Erfurt Union
Becoming King of Prussia in 1840, this romantic and unpredictable ruler initially gave liberals hope for reform but disappointed them by rejecting a unified German parliament.
Friedrich Wilhelm IV
March 1848
Revolution begins in Austria and Germany: Inspired by revolution in France (February 1848).
Formed in 1859, this organization of business and professional elites placed its hopes for German unification on Prussian leadership.
National Society (Nationalverein)
This agricultural crisis between 1846 and 1847 devastated peasant living standards and helped spark the revolutions of 1848.
bad harvests of 1846 and 1847 "Hungry 40s"
Banned political meetings and symbols of nationalist groups.
Ten Articles
These two brothers, famous for collecting folk tales, were also part of the "Göttingen Seven" who protested the abolition of a constitution in Hanover.
Who are Jacob and Wilhelm Grimm?
August 1866
Treaty of Prague– Officially ends the Austro-Prussian War.
In this voting system introduced in Prussia's 1850 constitution, voters were divided into three classes based on the amount of taxes paid, giving the wealthiest voters disproportionate influence.
Three-Tier Suffrage System (Page 107)
Once crucial in regulating professions, these traditional associations were increasingly seen as obstacles to free economic competition by the early 1800s.
guilds
Spanish politicians offered the throne to Prince Leopold of Hohenzollern-Sigmaringen.
Spanish Succession Crisis
This Austrian statesman led efforts at the Congress of Vienna to maintain conservative order in Europe and was known for his repressive "system" aimed at crushing liberal and nationalist movements.
Prince Klemens von Metternich?
June 1866
Austro-Prussian War: Prussia defeats Austria, dissolving the old Confederation.
Issued by Friedrich Wilhelm IV after dissolving the Prussian National Assembly in 1848, this constitution allowed a parliament but kept real political power firmly in royal hands.
Prussian Constitution of 1850 (Page 107)
Manteuffel’s government provided incentives for peasants to move away from overcrowded rural areas, a social policy aimed at reducing what?
Incentivize poorer populations from joining liberal movements and avoid overcrowding.
This 1864 conflict began when a northern European monarchy attempted to fully integrate a disputed duchy, prompting a joint military response by Prussia and Austria that resulted in a swift victory and later disputes over the duchies' administration.
Second Schleswig War
This archduke was placed in charge of the provisional central government by the Frankfurt Parliament during the 1848 revolutions.
Archduke Johann of Austria
July 1870
Ems Telegraph- report of an encounter between King William I of Prussia and the French ambassador
This voting structure used during Frankfurt Parliament elections favored property-owning men, excluded most workers, and created an assembly nicknamed "the professors' parliament."
Restricted Suffrage based on Property Ownership
(Page 107-108)
Although both sought reforms, tensions between these two groups weakened revolutionary movements in Germany by 1849, as one feared the radicalism of the other. What were the two groups?
middle-class liberals and the working-class radicals